Sunita

For other uses, see Sunitha (disambiguation).
This article is about Buddha's disciple Sunitha. For the astronaut, see Sunita Williams. For the american singer, see Sinitta. For the character on Coronation Street, see Sunita Alahan.

Sunita was a highly accomplished disciple of the Buddha. He was born in a very poor family who had next to no food and was an outcast whose job was to gather flowers from shrines and throw them away:

People found me disgusting,
despised me, disparaged me.
Lowering my heart,
I showed reverence to many.

Sunita was eventually ordained by Buddha himself:

The compassionate Teacher,
sympathetic to all the world, said:
"Come monk."
That was my formal Acceptance.

Sunita practiced night and day Buddha's instructions and became a full Arahant which is the highest saint category, and he was acknowledged in this status by Brahma and Indra themselves who bowed down to this saint:

Then, as night was ending
& the sun returning,
Indra & Brahma came to pay homage to me,
hands palm-to-palm at their hearts:
"Homage to you, O thoroughbred of men,
Homage to you, O man supreme,
whose fermentations are ended.
You, dear sir, are worthy of offerings."

References

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